Aristotle's 'Poetics'

Hamartia in Three Protagonists: Brutus, Lear, and Loman as Aristotelian Tragic Heroes 

Our professor, Dr. Dilip Barad, the head of the Department of English at MKBU, has assigned us the task of studying Aristotle's Poetics to familiarize ourselves with the fundamentals of classical Greek criticism, which forms the foundation of Western literary criticism.

Introduction 

This blog explores the idea of hamartia, or tragic flaw, in three major tragedies from different literary periods- Julius Caesar (1599) and King Lear (1605) from Elizabethan age, and Death of a Salesman (1949) from the Modern Age. 

Tragedy is one of the oldest and most powerful forms of storytelling. According to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, tragedy is a serious form of drama that presents the downfall of the protagonist due to a personal flaw or an error in judgment, which he called hamartia. In this blog, we will explore the tragic protagonists in three well-known plays: Julius Caesar and King Lear by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1915-2005). By examining the tragic protagonists in these plays, we aim to understand how their flaws lead to their downfall, following the concept introduced by Aristotle in his Poetics.

Aristotle's Critique Against Plato's Charges

Aristotle: Plato's Charges on Poetry& Poets

 

Aristotle: Reply to Plato's Charges

Although Aristotle was a student of Plato, their views on poetry and art were quite different. Plato, primarily a philosopher, rejected poetry on both moral and philosophical grounds. In his ideal state he even proposed banishing poets because he believed poetry could mislead people and disturb rational thinking. He argued that poetry is merely an imitation of reality, and since it imitates the physical world, which is itself a copy of the world of ideal forms, poetry is twice removed from reality. For Plato, this imitation appeals to emotions rather than reason, which he considered harmful to individuals and society. 

Aristotle responded to Plato by defending poetry in his work Poetics. He argued that poetry is not mere imitation of reality but a meaningful and creative way of representing human actions. Unlike Plato, who saw imitation as false, Aristotle believed that imitation helps people understand life and human nature better. He said that poetry is more philosophical than history because it shows not just what has happened, but what could happen according to probability and necessity. For Aristotle, tragedy is the highest form of poetry because it deals with serious themes and emotions. It shows the downfall of a noble character due to a personal flaw or error, which leads the audience to feel pity and fear. This emotional experience brings about catharsis, or purgation, helping people process their own feelings.

Aristotle's Poetics: Foundation of Tragedy

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was a distinguished philosopher, polymath, naturalist, and literary critic, renowned for his intellectual versatility. In his famous treatise Poetics, the most valuable document in the history of Western criticism, Aristotle provides the earliest surviving theory of drama, especially tragedy, and his ideas have shaped literary criticism for centuries.

In the sixth chapter of Book Vl of his Poetics Aristotle defines tragedy as "Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.”

Aristotle's Definition of Tragedy

He said that a good tragedy should have six parts: plot, character, thought, diction, melody, and spectacle. The plot, according to Aristotle, is the soul of tragedy, especially when it shows a person falling from a high position due to a tragic flaw, or hamartia. 

The term hamartia is usually rendered into English as ‘tragic flaw’. It derives its meaning etymologically from archery. It means, ‘to miss the mark’, ‘to err or fail’. The view has been modified to relate the term to an intellectual rather than a moral error. It is often mistranslated as "fatal flaw," but more accurately understood as an "error of judgment." It is the specific mistake, miscalculation, or ignorance on the part of the tragic hero that directly leads to their downfall. Now, we will concisely find the flaw in the tragic protagonists of Shakespeare and Miller's tragedies.

Tragic Protagonists

Julius Caesar 

According to Aristotle, a tragic protagonist is someone who is essentially noble but possesses a hamartia, or tragic flaw, which brings about their downfall. In Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus fits this definition closely. He is a man of high moral standing, deeply committed to the Roman Republic and its ideals. However, his hamartia lies in his rigid sense of honour, idealism, and poor judgment. Brutus naively believes that the assassination of Caesar will save Rome, ignoring the personal motives of the conspirators around him. His inability to separate political reality from personal morality leads him to betray a friend and plunge the state into chaos. Thus, Brutus's downfall is not a result of villainy but of a fundamental error in judgment, a classic example of Aristotelian hamartia.

King Lear 

King Lear is yet another good example of Aristotle’s idea of hamartia, which means a serious mistake made by a noble person that leads to their downfall. At the start of the play, Lear is a powerful king, but he lets his pride and love for praise influence his decisions. His main mistake is that he cannot see people for who they really are. He believes the fake words of love from his older daughters, Goneril and Regan, and rejects the honest love of his youngest daughter, Cordelia. When he gives power to the wrong daughters and sends Cordelia away, he unknowingly brings tragedy upon himself and his kingdom. Lear’s poor judgment, quick temper, and refusal to face the truth cause him great pain and lead to disaster. Shakespeare shows how one wrong decision by a great man can lead to a tragic end.

Death of a Salesman 

While Aristotle's concept of hamartia was developed in the context of classical tragedy, it also applies to modern drama, as seen in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman is not a king or a nobleman, but an ordinary man whose deep personal flaws lead to his tragic end. His hamartia is his strong belief in the American Dream and his refusal to face the truth about his life. Willy cannot accept that he is not successful or well-known. Instead, he lives in a world of fantasy, imagining himself as someone important and admired. His mistake of choosing appearance over reality and dreams over truth creates problems in his family and leads to confusion about his own identity. Willy's tragedy does not come from outside forces, but from the flaws within himself, making his story a modern reflection of Aristotelian hamartia.

Comparative Table: Tragic Protagonists and Hamartia

Conclusion 

No discussion in the field of literary criticism is entirely possible without mentioning Plato and Aristotle. These two ancient Greek philosophers laid the foundation for Western literary theory. Plato, in his philosophical dialogues, expressed skepticism about poetry and its moral influence. Aristotle, his student, responded by developing a more systematic and appreciative approach to literature in his seminal work Poetics, thus setting the tone and criteria for much of later and contemporary literary criticism.

References

Aristotle. Poetics. Translated by S. H. Butcher, The Poetry Foundation,

Aristotle. Poetics. Translated by S. H. Butcher, ResearchGate, 2023, www.researchgate.net/publication/373258361_Aristotle's_Poetics.